How To Use Your Workbook
The Learn To Speak program will be your principal tool for gaining listening comprehension and conversation skills, but this text can serve as a handy reference tool for vocabulary and grammar questions, as an aid during your conversations with the onscreen characters, and as a workbook for reviewing and practicing grammar. The text is organized into eight major sections which have been marked by tabs to facilitate access: Basic Expressions contains all the expressions introduced in the Basics Course of the program. Use this section to review and practice common phrases. You may also want to refer to this section as you practice branching Conversations with onscreen characters. Story and Action contains the dialogues from all the lessons in the Comprehensive Courses. Use this section to review the dialogues and to practice your reading skills. You may also want to refer to this section as you practice branching Conversations with onscreen characters. Grammar contains a reference grammar. The content of the grammar largely coincides with the content and organization of the Grammar Guide in the program. Use this section to learn about specific grammar points, such as the Present Tense of Regular Verbs, or to review entire categories, such as Verbs or Nouns. Exercises contains exercises for selected grammar points. The exercises are drawn from the program content, but have been modified to fit a textual format. Use this section to practice your grammar when you are unable to use the program, and to see where you need more practice. Answer Key contains the answers to the exercises. Appendices contains handy grammar charts and a grammar glossary. Vocabulary contains the vocabulary from your Learn To Speak program. It is arranged alphabetically according to the foreign language. Indices contains alphabetical indices of selected grammar points and the Story and Action dialogues.

GETTING ACQUAINTED
Talking about Your Country of Origin
¿De dónde eres? Soy de los Estados Unidos. Soy de Francia. Soy de México. ¿Eres americano/a? Sí. No, soy canadiense. Where are you from? I'm from the United States. I’m from France. I’m from Mexico. Are you American? Yes, I am. No, I'm Canadian.

Telling Someone How Long You’re Staying
¿Cuánto tiempo te piensas quedar aquí? Dos semanas. Sólo por unos días. Un mes. How long are you staying? Two weeks. Just a few days. One month.

3

Basics

LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

Talking about How You Like the Country
¿Te gusta aquí? ¡Me encanta! ¡Es estupendo! Pues, no tanto. How do you (informal) like it here? I love it. It's great. Well, not so much.

Talking about School
¿Eres estudiante? Sí, estudio administración de empresas. ¿Qué estudias? Estoy en la facultad de derecho Biología. Are you a student? I'm a Business major. What are you studying? I'm in law school. Biology.

Talking about Leisure Activities
Para divertirte, ¿qué haces? Me gusta dar excursiones a pie. Me encanta viajar. Escucho música. ¿Qué tipo de música te gusta escuchar? Me gusta todo tipo de música menos la opéra. Me encanta el jazz. Y a ti, ¿qué te gusta? 4 What do you do for fun? I like to go hiking. I love to travel. I listen to music. What kind of music do you like? I like all music except opera. I'm into jazz. How about you?

Offering and Asking for Something to Drink
¿Tienes sed? ¿Qué deseas tomar? ¿Te gustaría tomar algo? No, pero tengo hambre. Una cerveza, por favor. Un café, por favor. Yo no quiero nada, gracias. Are you thirsty? What would you like to drink? Would you like something to drink? No, but I'm hungry. I'd like a beer, please. A cup of coffee, please. Nothing for me.

Finding Out Who Someone Is
¿Quién es ése? Es el jefe de la compañía. Who is that? That’s the president of the company.

Talking about Family
¿Tienes hijos? ¿Tienes hermanos? Sí, tengo una hija. No, pero me gustaría tener algún día. Tengo una hermana menor. Do you have kids? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Yes, a daughter. No, but I'd like to someday. I have a younger sister.

Asking Someone for a Date
¿Te gustaría salir conmigo uno de estos días? ¿Te gustaría jugar al tenis conmigo uno de estos días? ¿Qué tal mañana? Vamos a comer algo. Would you like to go out sometime? Would you like to play tennis with me sometime? How about tomorrow? Let's go get something to eat.

English
I need to change dollars for pesos. Where is the exchange office? The exchange office is around the corner. I need to change some dollars. How many do you want to change? The exchange rate is three pesos to the dollar. Thirty dollars. How do you want them? In large bills, please.

English
Excuse me, ma’am.. May I help you? Where can I change some money? The exchange office is right around the corner. Thanks. Sir, I need to change some dollars. How many? Thirty dollars. The exchange rate is three pesos to the dollar. So, that makes ninety pesos. How do you want them? In large bills, please. Here you are. Thank you very much.

English
To go to the hotel, we need to take a taxi. Is this taxi free? Yes. Where do you want to go? How much do you want to take us to the Hotel Internacional? How many passengers? Fo ur. Thirty pesos. No, that’s too much. I’ll give you twenty. I can’t do it for less than twenty five. O.K. Pu t your luggage here in the back. Thanks. You’re welcome.

English
Is this taxi free? Yes. Where do you want to go? How much do you want to take me to the Hotel Internacional? How many passengers? Just me. Thirty pesos. No, that’s too much. I’ll give you twenty. I can’t do it for less than twenty five. O.K. Pu t your luggage here in the back. Thanks.

English
Good morning. I have a room reserved here in the name of Karen Santiago. I’m sorry, but I don’t find any record of it. I need a room for four people with a private bath. How much will that be? For how many days? I don’t know. About fifteen days. Then we can offer you a special price. Fifty pesos a day. This price includes breakfast. Don’t you h ave less expensive rooms? There are smaller rooms, but they don’t have private baths. Leave it, I prefer to pay a little more and have a private bathroom.

English
Good morning. I have a room reserved here in the name of Thomas Smith. I’m sorry, but I don’t find any record of it. I need a room for one person with a private bath. How much will that be? For how many days? I don’t know. About fifteen days. Then we can offer you a special price. Fifty pesos a day. This price includes breakfast. Don’t you h ave less expensive rooms? There are smaller rooms, but they don’t have private baths. Leave it, I prefer to pay a little more and have a private bathroom.

English
Where should I put the suitcases? Put them next to the bed, please. Is everything alright? Do you need anything else? Yes, wait a minute. I need soap, towels, and mineral water. Fine. I’ll bring them to you right away. I'm hungry. Can you tell me where I can eat near here? Do you prefer American food or Mexican food? We’d like to eat something Mexican. There’s a fairly good restaurant right across the street. It’s called El Tampiqueño. Thanks a lot. Here you are.

English
Where should I put the suitcases, sir? Put them next to the bed, please. Is everything alright? Do you need anything else? Yes, wait a minute. I need soap, towels, and mineral water. Fine. I’ll bring them to you right away. Just a minute. Don’t go. Can you tell me where I can eat near here? Do you prefer American food or Mexican food? I’d like to eat something Mexican. There’s a fairly good restaurant right across the street. It’s called El Tampiqueño. Thanks a lot. Here you are.

English
I think we’re lost. Excuse me, ma’am. Can you tell me where the post office is? It’s not far from here. It’s on Bolívar Street. How can we get there from here? Go straight until you get to Nogales Street. Then, turn left and walk two blocks to Bolívar Street. You’ll see the post office on the corner. And do you know what time the office closes? I think it closes at four p.m. You’ve been very kind. Thank you. You’re welcome.

English
Excuse me, ma’am. Can you tell me where the post office is? It’s not far from here. It’s on Bolívar Street. How can I get there from here? Go straight until you get to Nogales Street. Then, turn left and walk two blocks to Bolívar Street. You’ll see the post office on the corner. And do you know what time the office closes? I think it closes at four p.m. You’ve been very kind. Thank you. You’re welcome.

English
The truth is I don’t feel like driving. I think it’s better to take a bus. Do you want to go on a tour? Yes, because then we won’t have to worry about anything. Eduardo told me that some of these trips are really interesting. Where will we go? To the sea or to the mountains? They told me that the trip to Acapulco is nice because we go through Taxco, a colonial city, and through the mountains too. Are we going to spend a few days at the beach? I’d like to get a tan. Yes, of course. We can also travel along the coast in order to see some of the small towns.

The truth is I don’t feel like driving. I think it’s better to take a bus. Do you want to go on a tour? Yes, because then we won’t have to worry about anything. Roberto told me that some of these trips are really interesting. Where will we go? To the sea or to the mountains? Me dijeron que el viaje a Acapulco es agradable They told me that the trip to Acapulco is nice porque pasamos por Taxco, una ciudad colonial, y because we go through Taxco, a colonial city, las montañas también. and through the mountains too. ¿Vamos a quedarnos algunos días en la playa? A Are we going to spend a few days at the mí me gustaría ponerme morena. beach? I’d like to get a tan. Sí, por supuesto. También podemos recorrer la Yes, of course. We can also travel along the costa para poder conocer algunos pueblos coast in order to see some of the small towns. pequeños.

English
Good morning. My wife and I want to go on an organized tour to Acapulco for vacation. Can you give me some information about the trip? Yes, Sir. We have several different kinds of tours. Do you want to go first class? Yes, and I want to reserve two places. When do you want to travel? We have a week free, starting next Friday. Fine. You can leave on Saturday morning and get to Taxco that night. The tour includes hotel accommodations in Taxco, dinner and breakfast, and in the evening you can attend a floor show of folkloric dances. It sounds great to me. Will there be time to visit the stores? Yes, you’ll have a couple of hours before you leave for Acapulco.

Good morning. My family and I want to go on an organized tour to Acapulco for vacation. Can you give me some information about the trips? Sí, señora. Tenemos varias clases de Yes, Ma’am. We have several different kinds of excursiones. ¿Quieren ir en primera clase? tours. Do you want to go first class? Sí, y quiero reservar cuatro plazas. Tenemos Yes, and I want to reserve four places. We have a una semana libre, a partir del viernes próximo. week free, starting next Friday. Bueno. Pueden salir ustedes el sábado por la Fine. You can leave on Saturday morning and get mañana y llegar a Taxco por la noche. to Taxco that night. La excursión incluye alojamiento en Taxco, The tour includes hotel accommodations in Taxco, cena y desayuno, dinner and breakfast, y por la noche pueden asistir a una and in the evening you can attend a floor show of representación folklórica. folkloric dances. Me parece estupendo. ¿Habrá tiempo para It sounds great to me. Will there be time to visit visitar las tiendas? the stores? Sí, tendrán un par de horas antes de salir para Yes, you’ll have a couple of hours before you leave Acapulco. for Acapulco.

English
What do you think about this scarf for Karen? I think the colors are too loud. Don’t you want to look for something more subtle? You’re right. I think that blue one over there is more subtle. What can we buy for Mario? Mario loves classical music. Buy him a record. We have to buy some toys for the children too. I’m going to ask the saleswoman where the toy section is. Don’t forget the book for Eduardo. They have a good selection there, next to the cash register. No, I prefer to go to the bookstore. There, the books are cheaper than here.

English
What do you think about this scarf for Silvia? I think the colors are too loud. Don’t you want to look for something more subtle? You’re right. I think that blue one over there is more elegant. And what can we buy for Roberto? Roberto loves classical music. Buy him a record. We have to buy some toys for the children too. Don’t forget the book for Eduardo. They have a good selection there, next to the cash register. No, I prefer to go to the bookstore. There, the books are cheaper than here. I’m going to ask the saleswoman where the toy section is.

English
Is there a delay on the flight to Chicago.? No. It’ll leave at 11:45, from gate 16. Do you want to check your baggage now? Yes. We’re carrying a lot of luggage. Do you have your tickets? Yes, of course. Here they are. Thank you. You asked for seats in the no smoking section, right? Yes. How far in advance do we need to be here? Twenty minutes before boarding. They’ll a nnounce the departure in the waiting room. I can’t believe that it’s time to leave, Mario. After spending a very enjoyable year here in Mexico, it’s necessary to return to Chicago. I don’t believe it either. But, if I’m not mistaken, we have three weeks off in July, a nd if we save a little, we’ll be able to return to Mexico on vacation!

English
Is there a delay on the flight to Chicago.? No. It’ll leave at 11:45, from gate 16. Do you want to check your baggage now? Yes. We’re carrying a lot of luggage. Do you have your tickets? Yes, of course. Here they are. Thank you. You asked for seats in the no smoking section, right? Yes. How far in advance do we need to be h ere? Twenty minutes before boarding. They’ll a nnounce the departure in the waiting room. I can’t believe that it’s time to leave, Thomas. After spending a very enjoyable year here in Mexico, it’s necessary to return to Chicago. I don’t believe it either. But, if I’m not mistaken, I have three weeks off in July, and if we save a little, we’ll be able to return to Mexico on vacation!

English
Hello? I want to make a call to the United States, please. Person to person? Yes, with Mrs. Ana Santiago, collect, please. And what is your name? Susy, Susy Santiago. The number, please? It’s 423-450-2105. Right away. I’m sorry. No one answers. Do you want me to keep trying? Yes, please. There’s still no answer. Would you like to call back later? Alright. I’ll call later. Thanks. Don’t mention it. Good-bye. Good-bye.

English
I want to make a call to the United States, please. Do you want to reverse the charges? Yes. What’s the number, please? It’s 615-974-2311. Person to person, to Mrs. Elena Smith. Right away. I’m sorry. No one answers. Do you want me to keep trying? No, thanks. I’ll call later.

20

Business

Making a Local Phone Call
Dialogues

Story
Spanish
Mario

English
Can you tell me how to make a local phone call? Yes, sir. Dial number 6 first, then the number that you want.

Do you want to leave a message? Yes, tell her to call me at the Hotel Internacional. I’ll be here until nine. Of course. Anything else? That’s all, thanks. Good-bye. Alright. Good-bye.

Action
Spanish
Thomas

English
Can you tell me how to make a local phone call? Yes, sir. Dial number 6 first, then the number that you want. Thanks. Is Mr. García in? Who’s calling, please? Thomas Smith. I’m sorry. Mr. García is in a meeting. Do you want to leave a message? Yes, tell him to call me at the Hotel Internacional. I’ll be here until nine.

English
Don’t they h ave any meat in this restaurant? But didn’t you want to eat seafood? I did want to, but now I want to eat meat. Well you’ll have to ask the waiter. Is it possible to get a steak and fried potatoes? I just don’t feel like eating fish today. Of course. I’ll talk to the chef. And you, sir, what will you have to eat? Do you have any specialities of the house? Yes, shrimp, lobster and tuna. Lobster for me. Anything to drink? Yes, some wine, please.

English
Don’t they have any meat in this restaurant? But didn’t you want to eat seafood? I did want to, but now I want to eat meat. Well you’ll have to ask the waiter. Is it possible to get a steak and fried potatoes? I just don’t feel like eating fish today. Of course. I’ll talk to the chef. And the lady and the children, what will they have to eat? Do you have any specialities of the house? Yes, shrimp, lobster and tuna. Lobster for me. And the children are like their father. They prefer meat. Anything to drink? Wine for us, and juice for the children.

English
Can you tell me where Mrs. González's office is? It's on the third floor, at the end of the hall on the right. The elevator is on your left. Thanks, but I prefer to walk up. Where are the stairs? Behind you. Is Mrs. González here? No. You've made a mistake. If you’re looking for Mr. González, you have to go next door. Is this Mrs. González's office? Yes. Are you Mrs. Santiago? Yes. I’m Karen Santiago. Come in. Mrs. González is waiting for you.

English
Can you tell me where Mrs. González's office is? It's on the third floor, at the end of the hall on the right. The elevator is on your left. Thanks, but I prefer to walk up. Where are the stairs? Behind you. Is Mr. González here? No. You've made a mistake. You have to go next door. Is this Mr. González's office? Yes. Are you Mr. Smith? Come in. Mr. González is waiting for you.

English
Hello, Karen. How are you? Just fine, thanks. An d you, how are you d oing? As you can see. Working like always. How was your trip? Very nice, thanks. Do you know my partner, Eduardo González? I'm glad to meet you. The pleasure's mine. Silvia tells me you're g oing to work with us. I'm pleased. Well, yes, my intention is to stay here for at least a year. Are you going to have your family join you? Of course. They are here. Now we just have to find an apartment. If you want, I can go with you to the rental a gency.

English
Hello, Thomas. How are you? How was your trip? Just fine, thanks. An d you, how are you d oing? As you can see. Working like always. Do you know my partner, Eduardo Gutiérrez? I'm glad to meet you. The pleasure's mine. Roberto tells me you're g oing to work with us. I'm pleased. Well, yes, my intention is to stay here for at least a year. Are you going to have your wife join you? Of course. Elena wants to come, but first I h ave to find an apartment. I have some free time on Friday. If you want, I can go with you to the rental agency.

English
Can we meet tomorrow morning? What’s a convenient time for you? Between ten and eleven? That’s a little difficult for me. What about Tuesday in the afternoon? Would four o’clock be alright? Tuesday is a good day for me, but I have to go to Cuernavaca in the morning. I’ll try to be back here before four. It d epends on the traffic. You know what problems there are at that time. Yes, I understand. The traffic jams are horrible sometimes. Don’t worry if you get here a bit late. I’m going to be at the office until six. We could have a drink then and talk about the matter, if that sounds alright to you. That’s a good idea. We’ll see each other then. See you then.

English
Can we meet tomorrow morning? What’s a convenient time for you? Between ten and eleven? That’s a little difficult for me. What about Tuesday in the afternoon? Would four o’clock be alright? Tuesday is a good day for me, but I have to go to Cuernavaca in the morning. I’ll try to be back here before four. It depends on the traffic. You know what problems there are at that time. Yes, I understand. The traffic jams are horrible sometimes. Don’t worry if you get here a bit late. I’m going to be at the office until six. We could have a drink then and talk about the matter, if that sounds alright to you. That’s a good idea. We’ll see each other then.

English
Has some money arrived from the United States in the name of Karen Santiago? Do you have an account here? Yes, I opened an account a month ago. What is the number? I have it here. It’s C-4400761. Wait a minute. Yes, that’s right. You have an a ccount with a balance of twenty thousand p esos. Great. I want to get some traveler’s checks. Five thousand pesos, but in sucres, if that’s p ossible. They’ll be ready late tomorrow morning. Do you want anything else? No, that’s all, thanks. See you later.

English
Has some money arrived from the United States in the name of Thomas Smith? Do you have a n account here? Yes, I opened an account a month ago. What is the number? I have it here. It’s C-4400761. Wait a minute. Yes, that’s right. You have an a ccount with a balance of twenty thousand p esos. Great. I want to get some traveler’s checks. Five thousand pesos, but in sucres, if that’s p ossible. They’ll be ready late tomorrow morning. Do you want anything else? No, that’s all, thanks. See you later.

English
Do you have plans for Friday night? No. I hope that we’ll finish the job and then I’ll have two days to see the city. There’s a play at the Bellas Artes theater and I thought that perhaps you’d like to accompany us. Isn’t it a little late to get tickets? No, don’t worry. I’m sure there are tickets left. By the way, at what time is the performance? At nine. But we’re going to have dinner in a restaurant beforehand. Ah, Eduardo already invited us to have dinner at his house. What a shame! Maybe some other time, then. But we would like to join you at the theater. Can you come to pick us up at the apartment at eight? No problem.

English
Do you have plans for Friday night? No. I hope that we’ll finish the job and then I’ll have two days to see the city. There’s a play at the Bellas Artes theater and I thought that perhaps you’d like to accompany us. Isn’t it a little late to get tickets? No, don’t worry. I’m sure there are tickets left. By the way, at what time is the performance? At nine. Can you come to pick me up at my hotel at eight? No problem.

English
Hi, Karen, happy to see you, Mario! Come in. How are the children? They’re fine, thanks. Mario and Karen, how are you? Fine, thanks, Roberto. It’s great to see you again. Do you know all the guests? Some of them. And, who’s the woman dancing with Roberto? She’s my younger sister. She lives in Mérida, but she’s here visiting for a couple of days. And, who is the man on the balcony talking to Eduardo? It’s his cousin. He’s a lawyer and he also teaches at the university. It looks like the party’s very lively.

English
Happy to see you, Thomas! Come in. How’s your family? When is Elena coming? They’re all fine, thanks. Elena is coming within the next two weeks and she brings the children with her. It’ll be great to see them again. Do you know all the guests? Some of them. And, who’s the woman dancing with Roberto? She’s my younger sister. She lives in Mérida, but she’s here visiting for a couple of days. And, who is the man on the balcony talking to Eduardo? It’s his cousin. He’s a lawyer and he also teaches at the university. It looks like the party’s very lively.

English
Do you have something for a stomachache? What’s wrong with you? I don’t know. I ate something last night and I don’t feel very well. Do you have diarrhea or are you nauseous? Or is it a sharp pain? I just don’t feel well in general. Did you see a doctor? Not yet. Do I need a prescription? For these pills, no, but if you still feel ill tomorrow, I recommend you see a doctor. First I’ll see if these pills help me. Take two every four hours. I hope you feel better.

English
Do you have something for a stomachache? What’s wrong with you? I don’t know. I ate something last night, and now I don’t feel very well. Do you have diarrhea or are you nauseous? Or is it a sharp pain? I just don’t feel well in general. Did you see a doctor? Not yet. Do I need a prescription? Not for these pills, but if you still feel sick tomorrow, I advise you to go to a doctor. First I’ll see if these pills help me. Take two every four hours. I hope you feel better.

English
How long has he been feeling ill? For two days. Does your head hurt? Do you feel weak in the legs? Are you dizzy? Yes, it’s a little of everything. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s possible that it’s the effect of the altitude. It’s common when one isn’t used to it. And what do you recommend that I do? You should be careful about food and drink.
For example, he should avoid heavy greasy foods. Do I need to take any special medicine? No, it isn’t necessary. It will go away soon. He should try to rest, and above all, don’t worry.

How long have you been feeling ill? For two days. Does your head hurt? Do you feel weak in the legs? Are you dizzy? Yes, it’s a little of everything. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Es posible que sea el efecto de la altitud. Es It’s possible that it’s the effect of the altitude. frecuente cuando uno no está acostumbrado. It’s common when one isn’t used to it. ¿Y qué me recomienda usted? And what do you recommend that I do? Debe tener cuidado con la comida y las bebidas. You should be careful about food and drink. Por ejemplo, evite las comidas pesadas con For example, avoid heavy greasy foods and mucha grasa y también las bebidas alcohólicas. also alcoholic beverages. Trate de descansar, y sobre todo, no se preocupe. Try to rest, and above all, don’t worry. It will Se le pasará pronto. go away soon. ¿Necesito tomar alguna medicina especial? Do I need to take any special medicine? No, no es preciso. No, it isn’t necessary.
31

English
Let’s see, four shirts, two pairs of pants, a suit, six pairs of socks, four pairs of underwear, and three undershirts. When do you want them? As soon as possible. I also need you to sew a button on the blue shirt. The hem of the black pants is loose. Can you fix it? Of course, sir. Do you want me to put starch in the shirts and iron everything? Yes, fine. But don’t put too much starch in the shirts. Everything will be ready tomorrow afternoon. Can’t it be in the morning? It can’t be sooner than that because we have a lot of orders ahead of yours. O.K. See you tomorrow.

English
Let’s see, four shirts, two pairs of pants, a suit, six pairs of socks, four pairs of underwear, and three undershirts. When do you want them? As soon as possible. I also need you to sew a button on the blue shirt. The hem of the black pants is loose. Can you fix it? Of course, sir. Do you want me to put starch in the shirts and iron everything? Yes, fine. But don’t put too much starch in the shirts. Everything will be ready tomorrow afternoon. Can’t it be in the morning? It can’t be sooner than that because we have a lot of orders ahead of yours. O.K. See you tomorrow.

English
I’m looking for a house or an apartment for four persons. We’re a married couple and two children. Do you want a house in the city or in the suburbs? Outside the city you have the advantage of better prices and more space. No, my wife doesn’t like to live in the country because it takes her too long to get to work. We can offer you a house near the downtown area with six bedrooms, kitchen and dining room, two bathrooms, and a living room. It also has a two car garage and a patio. But it isn’t furnished. No, we’re only going to be here for a year. We need a place that’s furnished.

English
I’m looking for a house or an apartment for four persons. We’re a married couple and two children. Do you want a house in the city or in the suburbs? Outside the city you have the advantage of better prices and more space. No, because it would take me too long to get to work. And my wife doesn’t like to live in the country. We can offer you a house near the downtown area with six bedrooms, kitchen and dining room, two bathrooms, and a living room. It also has a two car garage and a patio. But it isn’t furnished. No, we’re only going to be here for a year. We need a place that’s furnished.

English
I need to buy meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, milk and fruit. Fine, look, in this market you can buy whatever you want. In this part, you can have the pork and beef. The fish is a little further ahead, on the right. And farther on, we can buy fruit and vegetables. Is it cheaper to shop here or at the supermarket? Normally it’s cheaper here, and the products are fresher, especially the vegetables. I also need to buy flour. You have to buy flour at the supermarket. They don’t have it here. O.K. Let’s start with the vegetables.

English
I need to buy meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, milk and fruit. Fine, look, in this market you can buy whatever you want. In this part, you can have the pork and beef. The fish is a little further ahead, on the right. And farther on, we can buy fruit and vegetables. Is it cheaper to shop here or at the supermarket? Normally it’s cheaper here, and the products are fresher, especially the vegetables. I also need to buy flour. You have to buy flour at the supermarket. They don’t have it here. O.K. Let’s start at the meat counter.

English
Give me two kilos of pork chops, one of veal, and one of sausages. Anything else? No, thanks. Can you wrap it all up and put it in a plastic bag? Of course. Here you are. I want half a kilo of lemons, four of oranges, two of bananas and a watermelon. The watermelon weighs over five kilos. Do you want a smaller one? No, that one is fine. If we keep buying so much, we’re going to need a maid to help us do the shopping

English
Give me two kilos of pork chops, one of veal, and one of sausages. Anything else? No, thanks. Can you wrap it all up and put it in a plastic bag? Of course. Here you are. I want half a kilo of lemons, four of oranges, two of bananas and a watermelon. The watermelon weighs over five kilos. Do you want a smaller one? No, that one is fine. If you keep buying so much, you’re going to need a maid to help you do the shopping

English
Lupe, don’t forget to change the sheets today before you make the beds. Should I run the vacuum cleaner in the living room first? No, first straighten up the bedrooms and then sweep the hallway. Leave the living room for last. When do you want me to wash the clothes? The washing machine isn’t working. I’m going to call this afternoon a repairman to come and fix the machine. Take the clothes to the laundry when you go to do the shopping. Do you want me to wash the windows too? Sure, if you have time today, wash the windows and dust the furniture. I’ll see how long it takes me at the market.

English
Lupe, don’t forget to change the sheets today before you make the beds. Should I run the vacuum cleaner in the living room first? No, first straighten up the bedrooms and then sweep the hallway. Leave the living room for last. When do you want me to wash the clothes? The washing machine isn’t working. Take the clothes to the laundry when you go to do the shopping. I’m going to call this afternoon a repairman to come and fix the machine. Do you want me to wash the windows too? Sure, if you have time today, wash the windows and dust the furniture. I’ll see how long it takes me at the market.

English
Did you find the dress that you were looking for? No, there was a black one that I liked a lot but the size was too large for me. Didn’t they have smaller sizes? Yes, but not in black. There was a yellow one that was horrible. I found a very pretty blouse that matches my gray skirt. And you, did you buy some shoes? Yes. I found some leather shoes at a very good price. I also bought a new suit. Another suit? You already have so many! I only have three and they’re all old. Wh at I need now are shirts. I’ll go with you to buy them. You always have the best of taste, you know. You can give me some advice about the pants then, while you’re at it.

English
Did you find the dress that you were looking for? No, there was a black one that I liked a lot but the size was too large for me. Didn’t they have smaller sizes? Yes, but not in black. There was a yellow one that was horrible. I found a very pretty blouse that matches my gray skirt. And you, did you buy some shoes? Yes. I found some leather shoes at a very good price. I also bought a new suit. Another suit? You already have so many! I only have three and they’re all old. What I need now are shirts. I’ll go with you to buy them. You don’t always have the best o f taste, you know. You can give me some advice about the pants, then, while you’re at it.

English
Fill the tank with super, please. Yes, sir. I think you have a flat tire. Do you want me to p ut some air in it? Oh, yes, please. Can you also check the oil and the water for me? Right away. Everything’s fine, but I put in a little oil. Good. Can I pay with a credit card? No, sir. You have to pay cash. We don’t take credit cards. I don’t know if I have enough. How much it is? Thirty pesos. Oh, yes, look. I have just that amount. Here you are. Wait until I clean your windshield.

English
Fill the tank with super, please. Yes, ma’am. I think you have a flat tire. Do you want me to put some air in it? Oh, yes, please. Can you also check the oil and the water for me? Right away. Everything’s fine, but I put in a little oil. Good. Can I pay with a credit card? No, ma’am. You have to pay cash. We don’t take credit cards. I don’t know if I have enough. How much it is? Thirty pesos. Oh, yes, look. I have just that amount. Here you are. Wait until I clean your windshield.

English
We got a letter from your parents today. They said they were in Florida with your brother. And what else? They’re thinking about coming for a vacation at Christmas, but your mom doesn’t know if she’ll have many days free. How strange! She doesn’t work any more. No, but your sister in-law wants to spend a few days with them then. You know they like to see their grandkids. Well they have two grandchildren here too! Don’t take it the wrong way. They can come here for Easter week. The weather’s better, and it’s also the baby’s birthday. Have it your way.

English
We got a letter from your parents today. They said they were in Florida with your brother. And what else? They’re thinking about coming for a vacation at Christmas, but your mom doesn’t know if she’ll have many days free. How strange! She doesn’t work any more. No, but your sister in law wants to spend a few days with them then. You know how much they like to see their grandchildren. Well they have two grandchildren here too! Don’t take it the wrong way. They can come here for Easter week. The weather’s better, and it’s also the baby’s birthday. Have it your way.

English
I wanted to cut my hair, but not very much. Just the ends. Leave the bangs the way they are. Do you want a shampoo first? Yes, but my hair’s very dry. Can you put a good conditioner on it? Of course! Of course! You’re not thinking about getting a permanent? It would look good on you. Yes, I’ve thought about it. The problem is that I don’t like curls.
No, it would just give you a little more body. That’s what I need, because I don’t want to look bald.

English
I wanted to cut my hair, but not very much. Just the ends. Leave the bangs the way they are. Do you want a shampoo first? Yes, but my hair’s very dry. Can you put a good conditioner on it? Of course! You’re not thinking about getting a permanent? It would look good on you. Yes, I’ve thought about it. The problem is that my husband doesn’t like curls. No, it would just give you a little more body. That’s what my husband needs, because he’s practically going bald. The problem with men is that they don’t take good care of themselves.

Peluquera Elena Peluquera Elena Peluquera Elena Peluquera

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Grammar Topics
NOUNS
Gender of Nouns
In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine in gender. This is merely a grammatical concept; it does not mean that Spanish speakers perceive things as having male or female attributes. Nouns that refer to male people or animals, and most nouns that end in -o are masculine in gender. (One common exception is la mano, “the hand”). Most nouns that refer to female people or animals, and most nouns that end in -a, -ción, -dad or -tad are feminine in gender. (Some exceptions are el día, el problema, el drama, and el programa). Nouns that have other endings, or nouns that are exceptions to the rules, must be memorized: el billete, el dólar, el valor, etc.

Grammar

Plural of Nouns
Spanish nouns that end in a vowel form plurals by adding the letter -s. Nouns that end in a consonant add -es. Nouns that end in the consonant -z change the -z to -c before adding -es: el lápiz (“pencil”), pl. los lápices. Nouns that have the last syllable accented in the singular form will lose the accent mark when the noun is plural: la conversación, las conversaciones; la razón (“reason”), las razones, etc. As well, when the noun is plural the definite and indefinite articles must be used in the plural form: un hombre>unos hombres; la conversación>las conversaciones. Unos and unas mean some, several or a few. In Spanish, the masculine plural form of a noun is used when referring to a group made up of males and females: los amigos (includes both male and female friends).

Definite and Indefinite Articles
In English, the definite article is “the,” and the indefinite article is “a,” or “an”. In Spanish, the articles have four forms, and they must agree with the noun in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine). See the following: Masculine Definite Articles el los Feminine la (singular) las (plural)

Contractions Del and Al
In Spanish, there are only two contractions, del and al, and they are obligatory. Whenever you have the definite article el immediately following the preposition de, you must make the contraction del. Whenever you have the definite article el immediately following the preposition a, you must make the contraction al. Es el dinero del señor González. (de + el) Vamos al hotel. (a + el) Note: De and a do not contract with any of the other articles. Es el dinero de la señor García. Es el dinero de los pasajeros. Vamos a la oficina. Vamos a las reuniones. In Spanish, the word a immediately precedes the direct object of a sentence when the direct object refers to a specific person or persons. This personal a, which has no equivalent in English, forms contractions in the same manner as the preposition a. Thomas llama a la secretaria. Thomas llama al secretario. Voy a ver a la señor Garcia. Voy a ver al señor Garcia.

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PRONOUNS
Subject Pronouns
The subject pronoun which indicates who is doing the action generally precedes the verb. The forms are: Singular I you (informal) you (formal) it, he it, she yo tú usted él ella Plural we you (informal) you (formal) they they nosotros, nosotras vosotros, vosotras ustedes ellos ellas

Grammar

Nosotros and vosotros have feminine forms (nosotras, vosotras) when referring to a group made up entirely of women. If the group contains both males and females, the masculine form is used. Similarly, ellos can refer to a group made up of both men and women, while ellas refers to a group made up entirely of females.

Use of Subject Pronouns
Because most verb endings in Spanish tell who is doing the action, it is not necessary to use the subject pronouns in most cases: Trabajo en esta compañia (the verb ending -o indicates that the subject of the sentence is “I”). Only when there is a chance of confusion, or if the speaker wants to emphasize who is doing the action, is the subject pronoun used: Ella es española, pero él es norteamericano (the verb es can have as a subject “he” and “she”); Yo quiero comer ahora (the yo is used only for emphasis, but is not necessary). In English, the subject “it” is always mentioned: “it is interesting,” “here it is,” “where is it?,” etc. In Spanish, however, the subject pronoun “it” is rarely, if ever, expressed. The verb stands alone, and the subject “it” is understood: Es interestante, aquí está, ¿dónde está? etc.

Formal and Informal “You”
Spanish has two forms of “you,” the formal (usted [Ud.] ustedes [Uds.]) and the informal (tú, vosotros). There are no hard and fast rules for when to use one form or the other but, in general, if you know the person well enough to call him or her by his or her first name, use tú. If you address the person by Mr., Miss, or Mrs. with a last name, use usted (commonly abbreviated as Ud.) If you are unsure about which form to use, it is better to start off with usted. The native speaker can suggest that you use tú if it is more appropriate.

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In Spain, a distinction is made between the plural forms ustedes (formal) and vosotros/vosotras (informal). In Spanish America, however, ustedes is used for both formal and informal situations. Use the plural whenever you are directly addressing more than one person.

Direct Object Pronouns
Grammar
The direct object of a sentence answers the question “what?” or “whom?”: “What do you want to see?” (“The city”); “Whom do you see on the balcony?” (“My wife”). To replace the direct object noun with a pronoun, you must choose the correct direct object pronoun, the one that reflects the number and gender of the noun it replaces: me te lo, la lo, la me you (informal) you (formal) him, her, it nos os los, las los, las us you all (informal) you (formal) them

Indirect Object Pronouns
The indirect object of a sentence usually answers the question “to whom?” or “for whom?”: Roberto me da un regalo (“Roberto gives a present to me”); Yo te compro este libro (“I’ll buy this book for you). To replace the indirect object noun with a pronoun, you must choose the correct form that corresponds to the noun: me te le le to me to you (informal) to you (formal) to him, to her nos os les les to us to you all (informal) to you all (formal) to them

Sometimes native speakers will use le or les as both the direct and indirect object pronoun when they are referring to a male person. If you are not sure which form to use (le or lo) when talking about a man, you can almost always use le.

Sequence of Object Pronouns
When both a direct and indirect object pronoun appear in a sentence, the indirect object pronoun will precede the direct object pronoun: Me lo dice; Te la mando ahora. When both the direct and indirect object pronouns are in the third person, the indirect object pronoun must be replaced by se: indirect object + direct object le, les + lo/la/los/las ¿Le das los libros a Silvia? Are you giving the books to Silvia? Sí, se los doy. Yes, I’m giving them to her. ¿Les compras los juguetes? Are you buying the toys for them? Sí, se los compro. Yes, I’m buying them for them. ¿Me trae un café? Will you bring me a coffee? Sí, se lo traigo ahora. Yes, I’ll bring it to you [formal] now.

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Note that when object pronouns are attached to affirmative commands, gerunds, or infinitives, you may need to add an accent mark to preserve the stress of the word: Búscalo; Estoy buscándolo; Tráigamelo; Voy a traérselo; but Voy a traerlo.

Some Uses of Se
l.

Grammar

As the impersonal subject “you,” “one,” “people”: Se come bien en este restaurante. (“One eats well in this restaurant.”); ¿Cómo se dice “today” en español? (“How does one say ‘today’ in Spanish?”); Nunca se sabe (“One never knows”). Notice that in this construction, the verb is always in the third person singular. In passive constructions: Aquí se habla español (“Spanish is spoken here”); Se venden libros (“Books are sold”). Notice that in these constructions the verb may be in the third person singular or plural, depending on whether the thing you’re referring to (the grammatical subject) is singular or plural. With a reflexive verb to indicate that the subject and object of the action are the same person: Roberto se viste. (“Roberto is getting dressed.”) To express mutual or reciprocal actions, generally expressed in English as “each other”: Elena y Thomas se besan. (“Elena and Thomas are kissing each other.”)

2.

3. 4.

Some Uses of Lo
The word lo can be a direct object pronoun; “him,” “it,” “you” but it can also function as a neuter article to describe an abstract idea. In English, this structure is usually expressed by “the...thing.” Lo más importante es que ustedes lleguen a tiempo (“The most important thing is that you all arrive on time”). Lo malo es que Thomas no puede encontrar una casa amueblada (“The bad thing is that Thomas can’t find a furnished house”). Lo can also refer to a whole situation: déjelo (“forget the whole thing”). No lo comprendo (“I don’t understand anything”).

Possessive Pronouns
A possessive pronoun is used to replace a noun phrase that starts with a possessive adjective. Examples: I like your dress. She likes their house. I like yours. She likes theirs.

The Spanish possessive pronouns are used with the definite articles and agree in number and gender with the object possessed, not with the speaker. 48

To select the right possessive pronoun, one needs to determine the gender and number of the object possessed and the person to whom it belongs. Examples: *Me gusta tu reloj. I like your watch. Me gusta el tuyo. I like yours.

In this case, el tuyo replaces tu reloj because the object (reloj) is masculine singular and belongs to “tú”, the second person singular. *Nuestra casa está a la venta. Our house is for sale. La nuestra está a la venta. Ours is for sale.

In this case, la nuestra replaces nuestra casa because the object (casa) is feminine singular and belongs to “nosotros”, the first person plural.

Placement of Adjectives
Adjectives that describe the qualities of a noun (what something or someone is like) generally follow the noun in Spanish: un precio especial, un hotel bueno, una mujer inteligente, etc. Adjectives of quantity and demonstrative adjectives precede the noun: cinco habitaciones, muchos taxis, pocas personas, otro día, este día, esta noche. Occasionally, you will notice that native speakers change some of these rules. For example, you may sometimes hear a native speaker place a descriptive adjective in front of the noun: un nuevo chofer, un buen día, unos excelentes hoteles. These changes are for stylistic purposes and only slightly alter the meaning, placing more emphasis on the adjective than usual. An exception to this is grande. Before a noun, grande becomes gran, and means “important” or “great.”

When used as adjectives, the demonstratives precede the noun and must agree in number and gender with the noun they describe: este hotel, esa comida, aquellos hombres, etc. When used as a pronoun (“this one,” “that one,” “these,” “those,” etc.), the demonstratives have accent marks: este libro y ése (“this book and that one”); esta puerta y ésa (“this door and that one”), etc. The difference between ese and aquel is one of relative distance. The thing farthest away from the speaker is aquel, whereas ese implies that it is a bit closer. In addition to the demonstrative adjectives, the demonstrative pronouns also include a series of neutral forms. These forms do not carry an accent mark. esto eso aquello 51

LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

They refer to either something that has not being identified or to abstract ideas. For example: ¿Qué es esto? What is this?

In this instance, the neutral form is used because the speaker does not recognize the object to which s/he is referring. Eso es una buena idea. That’s a good idea.

Grammar

In this instance, “eso” refers to an abstract idea, and therefore the neutral form is used.

Formation of Adverbs
Just as one can identify English adverbs by their ending in “-ly” (“quickly”, “fairly”), one can recognize many Spanish adverbs by their “-mente” ending. To form these adverbs, the ending “-mente” is added to the feminine form of a descriptive adjective: Masculine Adjective claro triste fácil Feminine Adjective clara triste fácil Adverb claramente (clearly) tristemente (sadly) fácilmente (happily)

If the feminine form of the adjective carries a written accent mark, it must be kept in its adverbial form, as in the last example above.

Placement of Adverbs
The placement of adverbs in Spanish does not follow any steadfast rule, though they are usually placed after the verb they modify: Examples: Él escribe rápidamente. Ella lo aprende fácilmente. He writes quickly. She learns it easily.

Many adverbs that refer to time and space, however, come at the beginning of the sentence. Aquí no hay queso. Hoy voy a la playa. There is no cheese here. I’m going to the beach today.

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Adjectives and Adverbs

Mucho, Muy, and Poco
Mucho (“a lot,” “many”) and poco (“a few,” “few”) can be either adjectives or adverbs. An adjective modifies a noun, while an adverb usually modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. When they are adjectives, they precede the noun, and they have four forms reflecting number and gender: mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas. For example, mucha (poca) cerveza, muchos (pocos) hombres, mucho (poco) dinero, muchas (pocas) amigas. To express very large or small amounts of something, use muchísimo and poquísimo.

Grammar

When mucho and poco are adverbs, they do not change form. They generally follow the verb, and mean “very much” or “very little”: Roberto trabaja mucho (poco). Muy is an adverb. It means “very”: muy rápido, muy interestante, muy bien. Never use muy with mucho. To express very large or very small amounts of something, use muchísimo/a and poquísimo/a.

Comparisons of Equality
To compare nouns, adjectives, or adverbs that are equal (“as ... as”; “as much/many ... as”) use these formulas: tan + adjective or adverb + como Eduardo es tan inteligente como Roberto. Eduardo is as intelligent as Roberto. Eduardo habla tan rápido como Roberto. Eduardo speaks as quickly as Roberto. tanto/a/os/as + noun + como Tengo tanto dinero como tú. I have as much money as you. Bebo tanta cerveza como tú. I drink as much beer as you. Ella tiene tantos amigos como yo. She has as many friends as I. Ella tiene tantas amigas como yo. She has as many friends (f.) as I. Notice that tanto will agree in number and gender with the noun it describes: tantas horas, tantos días, etc. 53

LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

Comparisons of Inequality
When you are comparing things that are not equal (“more than”; “less than,” “better than,” etc.), use these formulas: más + adjective/adverb/noun + que = more than menos + adjective/adverb/noun + que = less than

Spanish uses a double negative with no preceding the verb, and a negative word following the verb: No conozco a nadie (literally, “I don’t know no one”); No trabajo nunca; No hablo francés tampoco; No tengo nada, etc. In addition, to answer a “yes-no” question in the negative, you would use another no: ¿Necesita usted algo?— No, no necesito nada. Note that before a masculine singular noun, ninguno and alguno drop the final -o and take a written accent on the u: ningún taxi, algún restaurante, but ninguna cajera, de ninguna manera (“no way”). 55

Ser and Estar (to be)
Spanish has two verbs that mean “to be”: ser and estar. Both are irregular in the present tense indicative, and their forms must be memorized. SER soy eres es somos sois son ESTAR estoy estás está estamos estáis están

Notice that many forms of estar have written accent marks.

Some Uses of Ser and Estar
Ser and estar have numerous uses which you will learn throughout your Spanish studies. Ser can be used with many impersonal expressions, such as es importante, es interesante, es ridículo. In addition, some of the common uses of ser include: — to identify a person or a thing Soy el secretario de la señora Garza. — to tell time, the day of the week or the date Hoy es domingo. Es el diez de mayo. Son las nueve de la mañana. 59

LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

— to express national origin Nosotros somos de México, pero ellos son de Uruguay. — to describe the characteristics or traits of a person or thing María es inteligente. Yo soy tímido. El restaurante es grande, pero bueno. — to tell what someone does for a living

The Verb Gustar
The verb gustar literally means “to be pleasing to” but it is most commonly translated as “to like” in English. “I like this hotel” becomes Me gusta este hotel (literally, “This hotel is pleasing to me”). To talk about what other people like or dislike, use the appropriate indirect object pronoun form in front of the verb. To whom is something pleasing? me (to me) te (to you [informal]) le (to you [formal], to him, to her) nos (to us) os (to you [informal]) les (to you [formal], to him, to her)

When you are describing your own likes and dislikes, use the indirect object pronoun me before the verb. Generally, gustar is used in just two ways: gusta (for one thing that is pleasing) or gustan (for more than one thing that is pleasing): Me gusta el restaurante; Me gustan los tacos. To say that you don’t like something, place a no in front of the indirect object pronoun: No me gusta el hotel; No me gustan las enchiladas. Avoid using gustar to talk about liking people, as it has sexual connotations in some regions. What is pleasing? ¿El hotel? Me gusta el hotel, Te gusta el hotel, Le gusta el hotel, Nos gusta el hotel, Os gusta el hotel, Les gusta el hotel. ¿Los tacos? Me gustan los tacos, Te gustan los tacos, Le gustan los tacos, Nos gustan los tacos, Os gustan los tacos, Les gustan los tacos. Notice that the verb form, gusta or gustan, agrees in singular or plural with its grammatical subject, the thing or things that are pleasing, not with the person that is pleased. Finally, when a verb follows gustar, it will be in the infinitive: Me gusta comer tacos. 60

Verbs

Verbs Like Gustar
Several verbs in Spanish follow the same pattern as the verb gustar: doler (ue)- to hurt encantar- to like a lot faltar- to be lacking fascinar- to fascinate fastidiar- to upset, bother hacer falta- to be lacking importar- to be important interesar- to be of interest molestar- to bother, annoy

Grammar

parecer- to seem, appear preocupar- to worry (someone) quedar- to remain, be left

The word “do” in English questions such as “Do you speak Spanish?” is not translated into Spanish: ¿Habla usted español? The verb hacer is used to ask the question ¿Qué hace usted? (“What are you doing?”), but the answer to this question generally involves a verb other than hacer: Leo un libro (“I’m reading a book”), etc. Answer with hacer only when you are actually making something: Hago un pastel (“I’m making a cake”).

Grammar

The Meaning of Hay
Hay is an irregular form of the the verb haber. It means “there is” or “there are,” and it is used to point out the existence or presence of someone or something: Hay un restaurante bueno cerca de aquí. There is a good restaurant close to here. Hay muchos taxis en la calle. There are many taxis in the street. Hay cinco socios en la firma. There are five partners in the firm. Hay diez empleados en la oficina. There are ten employees in the office. When referring to the past, the verb form becomes había (imperfect) or sometimes hubo: Había (Hubo) un restaurante bueno cerca de aquí. There was a good restaurant close to here. Había (Hubo) muchos taxis en la calle. There were many taxis in the street. Había (Hubo) cinco socios en la firma. There were five partners in the firm. Había (Hubo) diez empleados en la oficina. There were ten employees in the office. 63

LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

Note: Hay, había, and hubo point out the existence or presence of something. If you are pointing out the location of specific persons or things, use a form of estar: Roberto está en casa. Roberto is at home. Silvia y Elena están en el mercado.

Grammar

Silvia and Elena are at the market. La carta está en la mesa. The letter is on the table. Los libros están en el suelo. The books are on the floor.

Some Idioms with Tener
An idiom is an expression that cannot be translated literally from one language to another. A number of idioms in Spanish involve the verb tener, and must be memorized. tener ...años tener hambre tener sed tener frío tener calor tener prisa tener sueño tener razón no tener razón tener miedo (de) tener ganas (de) tener que + infinitive to be ...years old to be hungry to be thirsty to be cold to be hot to be in a hurry to be sleepy to be right to be wrong to be afraid of to feel like (doing something) to have to (do something)

64

Verbs

Some Uses of Hace
The verb form hace is used in many weather expressions. These are idioms and should be memorized. ¿Qué tiempo hace? Hace buen tiempo. Hace mal tiempo. Hace frío. Hace calor. Hace viento. Hace sol. Hace fresco. What’s the weather like? The weather is nice. The weather is bad.

Grammar

It’s cold. It’s hot. It’s windy. It’s sunny. It’s cool.

When used with a time expression and a verb in the present tense, (desde) hace means for a certain amount of time: (Desde) Hace un mes estoy en México (“I have been in Mexico for a month”). When used with the past tense, it means “ago”: Lo conocí hace seis años (“I met him six years ago”).

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
A number of verbs in Spanish are reflexive, and are always used with a reflexive pronoun. The pronoun form corresponds to, or reflects the subject (the person doing the action), and immediately precedes the conjugated verb. MARCHARSE (yo) me marcho (tú) te marchas (Ud., él, ella) se marcha (nostros/as) nos marchamos (vosotros/as) os marcháis (Uds., ellos, ellas) se marchan

The reflexive pronouns can also be attached to infinitives: Tengo que irme; to gerunds: Está bañándose; and to affirmative commands: Levántate. With negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb: No te vayas.

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Common Reflexive Verbs
acostarse (ue) levantarse afeitarse llamarse to go to bed to get up to shave to be named (called) to take a bath to put on (clothes) to wake up to take off (clothes) to enjoy oneself to sit down to fall asleep to feel to wash (oneself) to get dressed

Notice that the infinitive always shows -se attached to the end of a reflexive verb. When you conjugate the verb, remember to make the pronoun form correspond to the person doing the action: dormirse (ue) > me duermo, te duermes, se duerme, nos dormimos, os dormís, se duermen. The vowels in parentheses (ue) (ie), etc. indicate that the verb has a stem change.

Present Progressive
The present progressive is formed in Spanish by using a conjugated form of the verb estar and a gerund. The gerunds are formed for verbs ending in -ar by adding -ando to the stem; for verbs ending in -er or -ir, add -iendo to the stem: hablando, bailando, trabajando, comiendo, viviendo, diciendo, etc. When an unstressed -i- occurs between two vowels, it becomes a -y-: leer > leyendo; creer > creyendo, etc. Keep in mind that the present progressive is not as common in Spanish as it is in English. The simple present tense (trabajo, estudio, etc.) is used more frequently to indicate actions in progress.

Grammar

Preterite of Regular Verbs
Spanish uses two tenses to describe past actions and events: the preterite and the imperfect. The preterite is used for actions that were COMPLETED in the past. The preterite endings are added to the stem of the infinitive (habl-, com-, viv-). Notice the -er and -ir verbs have the same endings in the preterite. -ar verbs HABLAR hablé hablaste habló hablamos hablasteis hablaron -er verbs COMER comí comiste comió comimos comisteis comieron -ir verbs VIVIR viví viviste vivió vivimos vivisteis vivieron

Preterite of Irregular Verbs
There are many verbs that are irregular in the preterite. Their forms must be memorized. DAR di diste IR fui fuiste fue fuimos fuisteis fueron SER fui fuiste fue fuimos fuisteis fueron

Grammar

dio dimos disteis dieron

The rest of the irregular verbs share the preterite endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Notice that none of the endings have accent marks. For these verbs you can learn the irregular preterite stem and use the appropriate endings. Note: The third person singular form of hacer has a spelling change of c > z: hizo. Also, the third person plural form of decir and traer does not use the -i- of the ending: dijeron, trajeron. hacer > hicestar > estuvtener > tuvpoder > pudponer > pusquerer > quissaber > supvenir > vindecir > dijtraer > traj-

Some Spelling Changes in the Preterite
Verbs that have stem changes in the present tense do not have the same change in the preterite. Verbs ending in -ar or -er have no stem change in the preterite: pensar (ie) > pensé, pensaste, pensó, pensamos, etc.; volver (ie) > volví, volviste, volvió, volvimos, etc. Verbs ending in -ir do have a stem change in the preterite, but only in the third person singular and plural. This change is not always the same change as for the present tense. In vocabulary lists, stem changes for the preterite are listed in parentheses next to the stem change information for the present tense. DORMIR (ue, u) dormí dormiste durmió 68 PEDIR (i, i) pedí pediste pidió

Verbs

dormimos dormisteis durmieron

pedimos pedisteis pidieron

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in the first person singular of the verb, where c > qu, g > gu, and z > c. A similar spelling change occurs for these verbs in the formal commands and in the present subjunctive.

Imperfect Tense
Spanish uses two tenses to describe past actions and events: the preterite and the imperfect. The imperfect is used to talk about actions or events that were in progress in the past, things that were habitual or customary, or that happened over a long period of time. It is also used to describe ongoing mental, physical, or emotional states in the past, and to tell time in the past. -ar verbs HABLAR hablaba hablabas hablaba hablábamos hablabais hablaban -er verbs COMER comía comías comía comíamos comíais comían -ir verbs VIVIR vivía vivías vivía vivíamos vivíais vivían

There are no stem-changes in the imperfect tense. Verbs that are stem-changing in the present or preterite are conjugated like regular verbs in the imperfect: volvía, jugaba, pensaba, perdía, etc.

Preterite vs. Imperfect
The preterite is used to narrate completed actions in the past. Certain words like ayer (“yesterday”), anoche (“last night”), el año pasado (“last year”), and la semana pasada (“last week”), are associated with the preterite since they usually refer to specific events that are now completed. The imperfect is used to narrate actions that were habitual or ongoing in the past. There is no reference to whether or not these things were ever completed, or whether they continue into the present time. Phrases like siempre (“always”), frecuentemente (“frequently”), and todos los días (“daily”), are often associated with the imperfect. The difference between the preterite and imperfect is often very subtle, and even native speakers will occasionally disagree about which form is correct. You should study examples and try to imitate native speakers when possible.

Past Participle
The past participle is formed in Spanish by adding -ado to the stem of regular -ar verbs, and -ido to the stem of regular -er or -ir verbs: hablar > hablado; poder > podido; vivir > vivido, etc. The past participle can often be used as an adjective (usually with the verb estar). Then, it has four forms, reflecting the number and gender of the noun it describes: El precio está confirmado. La tarifa está confirmada. Los fondos están confirmados. Las reservaciones están confirmadas. 70 The price is confirmed. The fare is confirmed. The funds are confirmed. The reservations are confirmed.

Verbs

The past participle can also be used with the verb ser to construct the passive voice: La comida fue preparada por mamá (“The food was prepared by Mom”). Again, the past participle reflects number and gender of the noun it describes. The passive construction with ser + past participle is not as common in Spanish as it is in English. The active voice should be used whenever possible: Mamá preparó la comida (“Mom made the food”).

Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect is constructed by using a conjugated form of the irregular verb haber with the past participle. he comido has comido ha comido hemos comido habéis comido han comido

The past participle does not change form when it is used in the present perfect tense. For example; Ella ha comido, nosotros hemos comido, ustedes han comido, etc. Like its English counterpart, the present perfect tense is used to refer to the past. In the affirmative, it refers to an action that has already taken place; Elena ha llegado (“Elena has arrived”). In the negative, it refers to something that has not happened yet; No ha llegado (“She hasn’t arrived yet”).

Irregular Tú Commands
There are only a few irregular tú commands, and these are irregular only in the affirmative command form. The negative command forms are the same as the tú form of the present subjunctive. decir: di, no digas hacer: haz, no hagas ir: ve, no vayas poner: pon, no pongas salir: sal, no salgas ser: sé, no seas tener: ten, no tengas venir: ven, no vengas

Formal Commands
When you are directly addressing a person or persons that you would normally address as usted or ustedes, give formal commands by taking the yo form of the present indicative tense and changing the ending of -ar verbs to -e for singular (usted) commands, or -en for plural (ustedes) commands and changing the ending of -er/-ir verbs to -a or -an. Because you are working from the yo form of the present indicative, the formal commands reflect the irregularities you find in irregular and stem-changing verbs. Regular Verbs -AR buscar > busque, busquen* dejar > deje, dejen 72 -ER/-IR comer > coma, coman insistir > insista, insistan

How to Talk About the Future
There are many ways you can talk about the future in Spanish. The easiest is to use an adverbial phrase indicating a future time (such as mañana, más tarde, luego, a la(s) + time, and so on) with the present tense of the verb: mañana voy al aeropuerto (“tomorrow I’m going to the airport”); luego hablamos por teléfono (“we’ll talk on the telephone later”); a las cinco nos encontramos en la oficina de correos (“at five o’clock we’ll meet at the post office”). Another way to talk about the future is with the future tense. The future tense in Spanish is formed by adding the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the entire infinitive.

Another very common way to talk about the future is to use the verb ir in a conjugated form in the present tense, followed by the preposition a and an infinitive: voy a comer (“I am going to eat”; “I will eat”); vas a comer, va a comer, vamos a comer, vais a comer, van a comer, etc. This structure is especially common in spoken Spanish.

Conditional Tense
Like the future tense, the conditional is formed by adding endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían) to the entire infinitive. Do not confuse the conditional forms of -er and -ir verbs with the imperfect. The endings for the latter are added to the stem, not to the infinitive. -ar verbs HABLAR hablaría hablarías hablaría hablaríamos hablaríais hablarían -er verbs COMER comería comerías comería comeríamos comeríais comerían -ir verbs VIVIR viviría vivirías viviría viviríamos viviríais vivirían

The conditional is used to talk about things that would happen under certain circumstances: Un permanente le quedaría bien (“A permanent would look good on you”), or to make polite requests; Me gustaría [pedir] el pescado (“I would like [to order] the fish”).

Formation of the Present Subjunctive
To form the present subjunctive of most verbs, add the personal endings of the present subjunctive to the yo form of the present indicative minus the -o ending. For the subjunctive, -ar verb endings are -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en, and -er / -ir verb endings are -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. (Notice that the third person forms [él/ella/ usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes] of regular verbs in the subjunctive are the same forms used in formal commands.) -ar verbs HABLAR hable hables hable -ir verbs VIVIR viva vivas viva vivamos viváis vivan hablemos habléis hablen -er verbs COMER coma comas coma comamos comáis coman

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Verbs

Since the form of the present subjunctive is taken from the yo form of the present indicative, stem-changing verbs and verbs that are irregular in the yo form have the same irregularity in the present subjunctive. In addition, verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have the same spelling change as in formal commands: c > qu, g > gu, and z > c. The verbs that are irregular for the formal commands are also irregular for the present subjunctive. These forms must be memorized.

-Ir stem-changing verbs have a slightly different pattern in the subjunctive than in the present indicative. These are the same verbs that have a different stem change in the third person form of the preterite. The same stem change seen in the preterite is seen in the subjunctive in the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms. Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in all forms of the present subjunctive, with c > qu, g > gu, and z > c. BUSCAR busque busques busque busquemos busquéis busquen PAGAR pague pagues pague paguemos paguéis paguen EMPEZAR empiece empieces empiece empecemos empecéis empiecen

Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions
After impersonal expressions that indicate a willing, wish, command, preference, desire, necessity, opinion, etc. on the part of the speaker that another person do (or not do) something, the subjunctive is used in the dependent clause, after the word que: Es importante que usted hable con la directora. It’s important that you speak with the director. Es necesario que Elena tome un taxi. It’s necessary that Elena take a taxi. ¡Es terrible que no sepas hablar español! It’s terrible that you don’t know how to speak Spanish! Es posible que sea el efecto de la comida. It’s possible that it is the effect of the food. 78

Verbs

No es preciso que usted tome medicina especial. It’s not necessary for you to take special medicine. However, if the expression does not reflect the desire to influence a specific person to do something, but instead is a statement that people in general should do something, then the infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir forms), and not the subjunctive, is used. Es necesario evitar el alcohol.

Subjunctive After Verbs of Emotion
The subjunctive is used after certain expressions of emotion, when the speaker shows emotion about the actions of another person, as in Me alegro de que estés aquí (“I’m glad that you’re here”). The subjunctive is also used after impersonal expressions of emotion, as in Es una lástima que no puedas acompañarnos (“It’s a pity that you can’t come with us”). You should recognize these expressions as some that will require the use of the subjunctive in the subordinate clause, after the word que: alegrarse (“to be glad”), esperar (“to hope”), sentir (“to regret”), temer (“to be afraid”), asombrarse (“to be surprised”), sorprenderse (“to surprise”), enfadarse (“to be angry”), enojarse (“to be angry”), es una lástima (“it’s a pity”), es triste (“it’s sad”), es escandaloso (“it’s scandalous”), es terrible (“it’s terrible”), and so forth.

Subjunctive After Verbs of Willing
One of the most common uses of the subjunctive is after verbs of willing, such as querer (“to want”), desear (“to want”), insistir en (“to insist on”), mandar (“to order”), preferir (“to prefer”), prohibir (“to prohibit”), recomendar (“to recommend”), decir (“to tell” someone to do something), pedir (“to ask” someone to do something), and permitir (“to permit). Notice that in the examples of the use of the subjunctive with the verbs of willing in the settings and dialogues, there is one person speaking who wants another person to do something. That is, there must be a change of subject in order to use the subjunctive—one subject wants to influence the other subject to do something. Thomas quiere que la operadora llame...; Thomas quiere que la secretaria le indique...; Thomas quiere que el camarero le traiga..., etc. The subjunctive is used after the conjunction que in the subordinate clause of the sentence. If there is no change of subject, the subjunctive is not used: Thomas quiere comer; Thomas quiere llamar; Thomas quiere encontrar...; etc. 79

Puedo quedarme en un hotel mientras esté en México (for however long I am in Mexico — I haven’t left yet). Elena viene tan pronto como yo encuentre un apartamento (I haven’t found an apartment yet). If the action has already taken place and there is therefore no doubt about its outcome, the subjunctive is not used: Cuando estuve en Acapulco, fui a la playa (I went to Acapulco in the past).

Subjunctive in Expressions of Doubt
The subjunctive is used after expressions of doubt or uncertainty: dudar (“to doubt”), no creer (“not to believe”), no estar seguro/a (“not to be sure”), no es verdad (“it’s not true”), es dudoso (“it’s doubtful”), no es cierto (“it’s uncertain”), etc. As always, the subjunctive will be used after the word que in the subordinate clause of the sentence: Dudo que pueda llegar antes de las nueve; No creo que el viaje sea largo; Es dudoso que la casa esté amueblada; No es cierto que tengan pescado en el mercado. If there is no doubt or uncertainty in the mind of the speaker, then the indicative is used: Es cierto que mis padres vienen para Navidad; No hay duda de que sus nietos quieren verlos; Creo que van a estar aquí dos semanas. Note: Creo que and no dudo que are expressions of certainty, and thus require the indicative in the subordinate clause. No creo que and dudo que are expressions of doubt that call for the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.

PREPOSITIONS
Some Useful Prepositions
cerca de (near, close to) lejos de (far, far from) antes de (before) después de (after) encima de (on top of) debajo de (below) delante de (in front of) entre (between) durante (during) a la izquierda de (to the left of) a la derecha de (to the right of) frente a (facing) en frente de (in front of) detrás de (behind)

Grammar

In Spanish, the pronouns that follow prepositions are the same as the subject pronouns, except for first and second person singular forms: mí, ti. Es para mí, es para ti, es para ella, es para ustedes, etc. One exception to this is the expression “between you and me,” entre tú y yo. The forms conmigo (“with me”) and contigo (“with you” informal singular) are irregular and must be memorized.

Insistir (“to insist”) is followed by en, and will call for the subjunctive in the subordinate clause if there is a change of subject. Pensar (“to think”) can be followed by en or de, depending on the meaning intended: Pienso en ti (“I’m thinking about you” [“You’re on my mind”]). ¿Qué piensas de ella? (“What do you think about her?” [“What is your reaction,” “your feeling about her?”]).

Note: The prepositions are used only when the grammatical object follows the verb. If no object follows, then no preposition is used: ¿Me ayudas a limpiar las ventanas? Sí, te ayudo. 81

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Some Uses of Para
Para is used to express the following: to, in order to—Trabajo para ganar plata. destined for, to be given to—El libro es para ti. for (by a specific time)—Estudien esta lección para mañana.

Grammar

for, in the direction of, toward—Salimos para Acapulco. to be used for/by—Es un hotel para turistas. for (compared with others)—Para mí, el español es fácil. for (in the employ of)—Trabajo para la universidad. Don’t confuse the third person singular form of the verb para (“he/she stops,” “you stop”) with the preposition para. The context should tell you which part of speech and which meaning is most logical.

EXPRESSIONS
“Yes / No” Questions
A common way to ask a yes/no question in Spanish is simply to change the intonation of your voice by making your voice rise at the end of the question: ¿Usted trabaja en México? Another way to form a question is to invert the order of the subject and verb, in addition to making your voice rise at the end of the question: ¿Trabaja usted en México?; ¿Está todo bien?; ¿Necesita usted algo más? To answer a question affirmatively, begin with Sí (“yes”): Sí, trabajo en México. To answer a question negatively, begin with No, and place another no in front of the verb: No, no trabajo en México. Notice that the word “do” from English (“Do you work?”) is not translated into Spanish when asking a question.

Grammar

Ways to Express Polite Requests
There are a number of ways to express polite requests in Spanish. For example, you can use a command, accompanied by por favor (“please”): Traígame un café, por favor. A more polite way of making the same request, however, is to use a form of the verb querer: ¿Quiere traerme un café?; (Literally: “do you want to bring me a coffee?”). You can also use the verb querer when you want to ask for a favor or make a polite inquiry: Querría hacer una llamada a los Estados Unidos (“I would like to make a phone call”) OR Quisiera hacer una llamada a los Estados Unidos (“I would like to make a phone call”). Sometimes you can use the verb poder the same way: ¿Puede usted decirme? (“Can you tell me?”) OR ¿Podría usted indicarme? (“Could you show me?”).

Notice that the days of the week in Spanish are not capitalized. When you want to indicate that something happens every Monday, every Saturday, etc., use the plural form of the article: los lunes, los sábados, etc. Note: On the Hispanic calendar, the first day of the week is Monday. Other useful phrases: mañana (“tomorrow”), pasado mañana (“day after tomorrow”), hoy (“today”), esta noche (“tonight”).

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Time

Dates, Seasons, Months of the Year
La fecha ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (Hoy) Es el primero de abril. (Hoy) Es el cinco de marzo. The date What is today’s date? Today is April 1. Today is March 5.

Grammar

Note: The ordinal number primero is used to express the first day of the month, but cardinal numbers (dos, tres, etc.) are used for the other days. Los meses del año (“the months of the year”): enero febrero marzo abril mayo junio julio agosto septiembre octubre noviembre diciembre January February March April May June July August September October November December

English
further on to, on the right to the right of to, on the left to the left of around the corner starting on what time? at what time? sometimes open lawyer to embrace April to open grandmother grandfather boredom oil accept to go with, accompany conditioner to advise to go to bed to be used to actor actress accumulated good-bye where? to where? airport

English
to shave suburbs, outskirts travel agency agent August pleasant sour water mineral water avocado sharp there now right away savings air garlic to the at the end next to, beside alcoholic to be glad something someone some, any there starch pillow lunch hotel accomodations 121

to give to give classes, teach of O.K., in agreement leather you’re welcome while you’re at it person to person if it’s possible on vacation under to be ought to, should, must weak tenth to tell to leave, let of the, about the in front of delicious too much delay within to depend on salesclerk to deposit deposit breakfast to rest since, it’s been to want flat, not inflated to wake up after, afterwards 125

after behind debt day New Year’s Day Independence Day All Soul’s Day daily diarrhea December nineteen eighteen sixteen seventeen ten difficult May I help you? money address directly direct director record discreet, subtle to enjoy dissimilar distributor daily to enjoy oneself to divide divorced to turn twelve doctor

at, on the corner on tour pleased, happy (to meet you) to love, please to request order, job chicken enchiladas on top of to find January nurse green salad to show then, so ticket between to wrap up luggage to make a mistake, be mistaken stairs stage broom to write school that (that one) that (nearby) those (nearby) space special specialty, special mirror to wait, hope

wife husband corner alright train station the United States to be to be visiting to be back this this one these to debut student stove fantastic, great euphemism Europe to avoid trip, tour hiking strange pheasant skirt family headlights February happiness congratulations hardware store party end custard bangs 127

it’s hot it’s cool it’s cold it’s bad weather it’s sunny it’s windy to make, do to camp to match with to make the bed to do the shopping to take a trip to make a call to get a permanent hammock hamburger flour until to that place, there until then, see you later there is, there are ice cream helicopter sister brother ice children, sons row history hello, hi man hour oven horrible, horrifying

hotel today today egg equally to include industry, manufacturing company information engineer rental agency to insist, keep trying intention interest interesting to invest Winter guest to invite to go to, be going to to go on vacation soap ham chief giraffe joule (Physics) Thursday to play juice toy July June next to exactly, just

pretty smooth ready call, phone call to call to knock on the door to be named, called tire to arrive to fill to take, carry to take a long time rain it him, you (formal) I’m sorry wolf them, you (plural, formal) Louis Monday mother teacher badly, ill general feeling of illness suitcase in a bad mood mom, mother tomorrow to send a fax to drive mango tablecloth butter apple

apple sea to dial to leave, go away husband seafood brown Tuesday March more more like later married couple May older to me to me medicine doctor half cheeks better better to get better melon younger less market snack jam to put in subway Mexican Mexico

welcome to be wrong night New Year’s Eve Christmas Eve name normally North American, from the U.S. to us we, us nine hundred ninth ninety ninety ninety-five ninety-four ninety-two ninety-nine ninety-eight ninety-six ninety-seven ninety-three ninety-one November cloud nuts nine o’clock nine new number never either, or occasion 131

ball wig hair dresser beauty shop to think to think about worse small small to get lost excuse me excuse me but person heavy to weigh fish peso skin leg pilot pepper pineapple floor, story of a building runway to iron plastic silver beach garage space seats, spaces to be able, can police officer chicken

dust poncho to put to put on to get tanned per, for by the way, incidentally collect, reversing the charges for Heaven’s sake for example that’s why please finally in general at least just in case of course because possible dessert price necessary to prefer to ask to worry Spring first cousin private product professor soon next 133

town, village bridge door, gate port well thumb ends of hair that, which what? to stay, remain, be to look good on one to stay to go bald Keep the change. to burn to want cheese who? whom? fifteen fifteen five hundred fifth to remove to take off Quito maybe frog lightening rebellious message receptionist prescription to receive to receive a call

to you (informal) tea theater roof repairman telephone telegram television television subject, topic curling iron to have to be hot to be careful to have a fever to be cold to feel like to feel like (doing something) to be hungry to be afraid to be nauseous to be in a hurry to have to (do something) to have to to be right to be thirsty to be sleepy to be years old third to finish, end veal terrible time, weather

thirty-three thirty-one train three three hundred three hundred to triumph victory you (informal) electric curlers last a a pair of, a couple of a little fingernail university one some you (formal) you (formal, plural) grape grapes cow several drinking glass twenty twenty twenty-five twenty-four twenty-two twenty-nine twenty-eight twenty-six twenty-seven 137

twenty-three twenty-one to come to suit one advantage window to see Summer right? truth green vegetable vegetables to see one another dizziness dress to get dressed trip old wind Friday wine violet widow place to live, dwelling to live steering wheel volume to return to, do again call again you (informal, plural)

Note: This glossary is a reference of the vocabulary words introduced in the Learn To Speak Spanish program along with their English translations. It is not intended to be a comprehensive lexicon of the Spanish language. 138

The e in the stem of t hese verbs becomes i e in the present indicative and subjunctive except in the first and second person plurals (nosotros and vosotros). Notice that all of these verbs end in either –ar or –er. Present Indicative pienso piensas piensa pensamos pensáis piensan Present Subjunctive piense pienses piense pensemos penséis piensen

Other verbs that follow this pattern: cerrar, comenzar, despertar, empezar, entender, perder, preferir*. *--Ir verbs that belong to this category , like preferir, will also carry a stem-change in the preterite forms of the third person singular and plural, changing their –e into –i: él prefirió; ellos prefirieron.

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Appendix A: Verb Review

B.

Pedir (to ask for): e>i

These verbs, which all end in –ir, change the e in their stem to ie in the present indicative and subjunctive as well as in the preterite. Notice that the changes occur in all of the subjunctive forms, only in the singular forms and third person plural in the present indicative tense and in the third person forms in the preterite. Present Indicative pido pides pide pedimos pedís piden Present Subjunctive pida pidas pida pidamos pidáis pidan Preterite pedí pediste pidió pedimos pedisteis pidieron

These verbs change the o or u in their stems to ue in the present indicative and subjunctive in all the persons except in the first and second plural forms (nosotros, vosotros). Present Indicative vuelvo vuelves vuelve volvemos volvéis vuelven Present Subjunctive vuelva vuelvas vuelva volvamos volváis vuelvan

Other verbs conjugated like volver: almorzar, acordarse, contar, costar, dormir*, encontrar, jugar**. *Dormir also has a stem-change in the preterite forms of the third person singular and plural: él durmió, ellos durmieron. **Jugar changes its u to ue

All of these verbs, except conocer, present the same spelling change in the first person singular of the preterite form: yo busqué, yo empecé, yo pagué. The verb conocer changes its stem in the first person singular of the present indicative tense: yo conozco.

Appendices
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APPENDIX B: GRAMMAR GLOSSARY
TERM adjective DEFINITION A word used to describe a person or a thing . Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. A word that qualifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a phrase. An adverb which describes spatial relationships. An adverb which describes relationships of time. A phrase that acts as an adverb. (See “adverb” and “phrase”). A positive statement. The opposite of negation. (see also "negation") A word that characterizes an item (person, thing, or idea) as definite or indefinite. (see also “definite article” and “indefinite article”) A word that characterizes an item with reference to the speaker (definite, indefinite, closer, further, interrogative, etc). An adjective that describes a noun and is not separated from the noun by the verb. A number used to count. (see “ordinal number”). EXAMPLES la casa azul the blue house el perro grande the big dog Ella corrió rápidamente. She ran quickly. Él es muy simpático. He’s very nice. a la d erecha right arriba above una vez once ahora now ya already Miró el libre con un vivo interés. He looked at the book with keen interest. Se compraron una nueva casa. They bought a new house. la casa un automóvil the house a car

A distinct part of a sentence which includes a subject and a predicate (with a verb). (see also "independent clause" and "subordinate clause") The form of the verb used to give a command or an order. (see also "imperative") A degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs. The comparative implies a comparison of only two items (people, things, or ideas) or two groups of items. (see also "superlative") The conditional is used to express the result of a hypothetical condition or supposition. The system of verb forms that expresses person, number, tense, and mood.

Fui al mercado (clause) porque necesitaba leche (clause). I went to the market (clause), because I needed milk (clause).

Salga! Sal!

Go outside!

Este libro es más interesante que la película. This book is more interesting than the movie.

Si viera un fantasma, me desmayaría. If I saw a ghost I would faint.

conjunction

contraction

A word that links together words, clauses, and even sentences. (see also "coordinating conjunction" and "subordinating conjunction") A form produced by the shortening of a syllable, word, or word group by leaving out a sound or letter.

I see you will see he/she saw you were seeing we will see you were seeing they had seen you saw

Nosotros venimos del (de + el) hospital. We are coming from the hospital. Él va al (a + el) cine. He is going to the movies.

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Appendix B: Grammar Glossary

coordinating conjunction

definite article

demonstrative adjective

demonstrative pronoun

dependent clause dependent infinitive phrase

direct object

ending

exclamatory expression future

A conjunction that links independent clauses or sentences. (see also “subordinating conjunction”) A word used to indicate a specific item (person, thing, or idea), an idea that is modified in some fashion or an item that stands for all objects of its kind. An adjective or article word that indicates, shows, or points out the noun it modifies. A pronoun that replaces a noun or noun phrase that is indicated, shown, or pointed out. (see “subordinate clause”) A dependent phrase which uses the infinitive of a verb and “to” or “in order to” to express the purpose of an action. The person or thing directly acted upon by the verb. In Spanish, when the direct object is a person, it must be preceded by the preposition a. One or more letters or syllables added to a word base. A sudden utterance used to express emotion or catch attention. A verb tense which refers to events that take place after the present.

escuchado cantando Oye! Hey! Iré dentro de un mes. I will go in a month.

listened singing

Appendices
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LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH

gender

A grammatical classing of nouns into masculine and feminine. A verb which is used to conjugate another verb. (see “command”) A verb tense primarily used to express progressive actions, repetitive actions, or to describe events in the past. A word that is used to indicate an item (person, thing, or idea) that is not specified in any particular way, or is not known to the listener. A clause that expresses a self-contained complete idea. A mood which states a fact or makes a declaration with reference to the writer or speaker. The person or thing indirectly affected by the verb. The basic form of a verb as given in a dictionary. A noun which is formed from the infinitive form of a verb. An infinitive noun means “the act of” whatever the verb signifies. A word used to ask a question. In Spanish, interrogative words have a written accent.

el libro (m.) la casa (f.)

the book the house

helping verb imperative mood imperfect

Ya habíamos visto esa película. We had already seen this film.

Comía carne todas las noches. I used to eat meat every night.

indefinite article

Tiene un automóvil. He has a car. Una niña se cayó de su bicicleta. A little girl fell from her bike.

An adjective used to ask a question. In Spanish, interrogative words have a written accent. The rhythm and voice pitch of spoken speech. A verb with a non-standard conjugation pattern. (see also "regular verb")

cuál

which

linking element

main clause

mood

negation

noun

A sound or word used to start a sentence, allowing the speaker to focus attention on what is about to be said, and giv ing the speaker extra time to formulate his or her thoughts. The part of the sentence which expresses the main idea, and which can stand alone. (see also "subordinate clause") A form of the verb which distinguishes whether the action or state expressed by the verb is perceived as fact or not. (see also "subjunctive," "indicative," and "command") A denial; the opposite of affirmation. (see also "affirmation") A word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea.

No compraron una nueva casa. They didn’t buy a new house. la mujer esta casa un automóvil la belleza the woman this house a car beauty

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number

numerical adjective ordinal number

participle

A term used to distinguish between singular, which refers to one of something, and plural, which refers to more than one of something. A word which giv es estimated numbers rather than specific ones. A number used to place people or things in a serial order. (see also “cardinal number”) An adjective derived from a verb.

muchos algunos quinto noveno

many a few fifth ninth

particle

A minor part of speech such as an article or a demonstrative adjective. A form of the verb used when the subject of the sentence is acted upon, instead of doing the action. A verb tense which refers to events that take place before the present, with reference to the writer or speaker. A form of the verb used either as an adjective or to form compound tenses. A verb tense which denotes a time before a reference point in the past, with reference to the writer or speaker.

Vi esa película ayer. I saw that movie yesterday. Estaba nevando. It was snowing. Ya había puesto la mesa cuando llamaste. I had already set the table when you called. Lo ha dicho. He has said it. La puerta está cerrada. The door is closed. Ya había puesto la mesa cuando llamaste. I had already set the table when you called.

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Appendix B: Grammar Glossary

person

Reference to the person speaking, the person being spoken to, or the person being spoken about.

(see "adverb of place") A cluster of words without a conjugated verb. Refers to more than one of something. The use of the conditional to make a request. An adjective which indicates to whom or what something or someone pertains or belongs. A pronoun whic h indicates to whom or what something or someone pertains or belongs. The part of the sentence which tells you about the subject. It generally consists of a verb, objects, and anything which modifies the verb. A particle added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. A word or words which express location, time, or direction. A verb tense used for activities which occur at the present time, in the near future, or which are habitual, with reference to the speaker or writer. (see “simple past”) Fui a la tienda. I went to the store.

en in para for a través de through Como verduras todos los días. I eat vegetables every day.

preterit

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pronoun

A word which replaces a noun or a noun phrase in naming a person or a thing. An interrogative sentence or clause which is normally used to gain information. In Spanish, questions are surrounded by interrogative signs (¿?). (see “interrogative” ) An object pronoun which refers to the subject.

question

Pedro está enfermo. Pedro is sick. Él está enfermo. He is sick. ¿Dónde está el baño? Where is the bathroom?

question word reflexive pronoun

reflexive verb regular verb

A verb used with a reflexive pronoun. A verb which follows standard rules for verb conjugation. (see also "irregular verb")

relative pronoun sentence structure simple past

A pronoun whic h relates or links a subordina te clause to a main clause. (see "word order") A verb tense used to express completed actions in the past. It is most commonly used in w riting. The “simple past” is the same as the “preterite.” Refers to one of something. The language that is appropriate to a particular subject, person, and occasion.

The basic form of a verb or a noun after all prefixes, suffixes, and endings are removed. A word or group of words within a sentence that perform the action denoted by the verb. A pronoun whic h functions as the subject of the sentence. Because most verb endings in Spanish tell who is doing the action, it is not necessary to use the subject pronoun in most cases. A mood which expresses uncertainty, possibility, a hypothesis, a condition, a hope, a wish, etc. A clause that depends on a main clause to be complete. A word used to link clauses, one of which depends for its full meaning on the main clause. (see also "coordinating conjunction") A particle added to the end of a word to change its meaning. The highest degree of some quality. The superlative implies a comparison of more than two items or groups of items.

camin- (ar) com- (er)

walk eat

El perro mordió al cartero. The dog bit the mailman.

(Ella) se compró un nuevo automóvil. She bought a new car.

Quiero que comas verduras. I want you to eat vegetables.

Comí un sandwich porque tenía hambre. I ate a sandwich because I was hungry. que si a menos que porque that if unless because

rápidamente quickly Él piensa que Nueva York es la mejor ciudad del mundo. He thinks New York is the best city in the world.

Appendices
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tense

verb

word order

A form of a verb which expresses different times as perceived by the speaker. (see also "present," "imperfect," "perfect," and "future") A word that typically expresses action, state, or a relation between two things, and that may be conjugated for person, tense, and mood. The main element of the predicate. The sequence of words in a sentence.

Indices
DIALOGUES INDEX
TRAVEL
Asking for Directions At the Airport Buying Presents Checking into a Hotel Exchanging Money at the Bank Going to Lunch Making Travel Reservations Planning a Trip Room Service Taking a Taxi

Page BUSINESS
11 18 17 9 7 16 14 Making an Appointment 12 Planning an Evening Out 10 8 Banking Finding an Office Going to Dinner Greetings and Introductions Making a Local Phone Call

Page EVERYDAY LIFE
27 23 22 24 21 At a Party At the Gas Station Finding an Apartment Going to a Pharmacy Going to the Beauty Salon Going to the Doctor Going to the Dry Cleaner 25 Going to the Market 28